Method of and apparatus for feeding foil strip and the like



Oct. 10, 1939.

E. N. TRLIMP` ET AL METHOD 0F* AND JAPPARATUVS FOR FEEDING FOIL STRIP AND THE LIKE Filed June 1, 1937 4 Smets-sheet 1 Oct. 10, 1939. E. N. 'rRuMP Er AL. 2,175,416

ns1-nov QFAND APPARATUS Foa FEEDING FOIL STRIP AND THE LIKE Filed June 1, 1937 l 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Oct. l0, 19.39. E. N. rRuMP-Er Al. 2,175,416

METHOD 0F AND APPARATUS'FOR FEEDI'NG FIL- STRIP AND THE LIKE? Od lo, N. TRUMP AL METHOD 0F AND AVPPARATUS- FOR FEEDIG IFOIIY.; STRIP AND THE LIKE Filed une v1, 1957 4 sheets-sheet 4 Patented Oct. 10, 1939 UNITED STATES METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR FEED- INGA FOIL STRIP AND THE LIKE Edward N. Trump and Albert D. Hallett, Syracuse, N. Y.

Application June 1, 1937, serial No. 145,906

12 Claims. (Cl. 93-60) This invention appertains to an improved method and apparatus for feeding strips or sheet material, and more particularly, has reference to the feeding of foil strips in the manufacture of over-all bottle caps and the like.

In the manufacture of foil bottle caps, it has been the customary practice in the past to intermittently feed a strip of foil between coactiva, relatively movable dies which serve to successively cut circular blanks from the Strip and then form the same into cap form. As far as we are aware, the foil strip has heretofore always been fed by a pulling action on the strip. Consequently, the foil strip must be substantially wider than the circular blanks which are cut out of the same. As a result, considerable scrap remains after the blanks have been cut from the strip and the caps formed from the blanks. For example, to make bottle caps of standard size for milk bottles, it

has been customary to employ a foil strip at least fourv and one-quarter inches in width, from which circular blanks or discs four inches in diameter are successively cut and formed into caps. This leaves a continuous length of scrap material which is composed of a series of generally trian- --gular shaped segments intermediate each successive cut, which segments are united together vat the margins of the strip by -a marginal web approximately one-eighth of an inch wide at its narrowest point at each edge of the foil strip. In the case of a four and one-quarter inch strip from which four inch blanks are cut, the scrap foil amounts to approximately twenty-eight percent of the strip. The scrap, of course, will run higher in'cases where the blanks are cut from strips wider than that above mentioned. In following the old practice, it is impractical to use narrower strips of foil, because this would result in frequent severancecf the scrap due to the tension on the same, having in mind that the feedn ling is accomplished by a pulling action on the foil exerted by the usual feed rollers which are located at the side of the dies opposite to the source of strip supply.

According to the present invention, the feeding of the foil strip is accomplished by a pushing action, such action being obtained by arranging the feed rollers or other equivalent feeding instrumentalities in advance of the blank cutting and cap forming dies. In other words, the strip feed ing instrumentalities are arranged at the same side of the dies as the source of strip supply. As

a result, complete severance of the strip may be effected each time a blank is cut from the strip, without interfering with the feeding action.

Moreover, the scrap material may be more readily separated from the formed caps and disposed of in such manner that the caps may be disl charged from the machine and suitably collected for use without interference by the scrap mate- 5 rial.

As a specific example of the practice of our improved invention, foil strip three and seveneighths inches Wide may be employed in making the same caps formerly made from strip four and one-quarter inches wide or wider. -From this narrower strip, four inch discs are cut and formed into caps in the usual manner, and as a result, the foil strip will 'be completely severed each time a blank is cut out from vthe strip, leav- Ving small generally triangular shaped scrap segments, which are separated instead of joined together as formerly. Suitable instrumentalities are preferably provided for disposing of the separated scrap pieces during the formation of the 20 caps, the scrap being preferably discharged from the machine in such manner that they can be use of narrower strips as well as the complete severance of the strip each time a cap blank is'35 cut therefrom. Such a saving is -very important fromthe standpoint of economy of manufacture of foil caps, and in addition to this greater economy, we are able to materially improve the eciencyl of the capmaking machines and to pro- 40 vide `other improved features which are very desirable and `which will hereinafter be more spetcifically referred to. s 'I'he primaryA object of the invention, therefore,

is to provide an improved method and appa- 45 ratus by which the scrap or waste material in the vmanufacture of bottle caps and the like is' reduced to a minimum and t0 a degree far below that which formerly was obtained.

Another important object of the invention is 50 to provide an improvedv method and means for "feeding foil strips and the like, characterized by the utilization of a pushing action upon the strip,

as distinguished from a. pulling action.

Still another' object of the invention is the pro- 55 vision of a novel and improved method and means for reinforcing or stiifening of the foil strips so that the same can be more readily adapted to'the utilization of a pushing type of feeding'action. To this end, the foil strip is preferably corrugated or ribbed in the direction of its feed, thus resistingI buckling of the strip during the feeding action, and the pushing out of. the nished cap.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved feeding mechanism by which the foil strip may be intermittently advanced in timed relation'to the operation of the cap forming dies of the cap making machine, the mechanism being preferably of such construction that the foil strip is relieved from excessive strains tending tol tear the same. I

Other and further objects and advantages will be hereinafter described, and the 'novel features thereof defined bythe appended claims.

In the drawingszy i Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of a typical machine for making foil bottle caps of the overall type, and having our, invention incorporated therein, certain of the parts of the machine being broken away and shown in section;

view, illustrating in a somewhat diagrammatic manner the cooperative relationship of the'foil feeding instrumentalities with the cap formingl dies which are shown in more, complete detail;

Figure is a fragmentary top plan view of thev foil feeding rollers and a fragmentary length of foil in the stage just following the completion of the formation of a cap, and particularly illustrating the blanketing and cap forming operations on the foil, the dotted lines illustrating the scrap material which remains after the cutting of the blank and formation of the same into the finished cap which is shown in top plan;

Figure 6 is a fragmentary detail vertical sectional view illustrating the scrap dies or receivers into which the scrap material is forced by means .lof the punches shown in elevation, the scrap being shown in full lines just prior to being engaged by the punches, and the dotted lines illustrating the action of the punches in forcing the scrap into the dies from which they are ultimately cgiducted to a suitabl point of discharge separately from the nish d caps;

Figure 'I is a top .plan view. of the foil spool or reel and its support by which the same is 'mounted on the cap making machine;

Figure 8 is an enlarged fragmentary detail sectional v iew of the complemental foil feeding rollers between which the foil strip passes in advance of the cap forming dies, and which serve `to corrugate the strip preferably adjacent to each marginal edge thereof so as to stiften the foil and prevent the same from buckling during its feed- Y ing action;

Figure 9 is a fragmentary detail view of the ratchet and pawl instrumentalities and their rack'and pinion driving devices which serve to actuate the foil feeding rollers Figure' 10 is an enlarged fragmentary detail sec- -tional view of one of the foil strip guides which also serves to automatically operate a suitable safety control such as an electric switch whereby the cap making machine will be automatically shut down or stopped if thefoil strip should break during operation of the machine; and

Figure `11 is an enlarged detail sectional view 'of a finished foil cap of one type for which the machine'herein shown is employed, as illustrative of one practical application of our invention.

Like reference characters designate corresponding parts in the several figures of the drawings.

As previously mentioned, our invention is particularly applicable to the making of over-all bottle caps, and the following description will be primarily directed thereto. However, it is to be understood that our invention is not limited to` the practice to cut out circular foil blanks from a strip or sheet offoil (aluminum foil being preferred) and then to form the blank by bending its marginal portions downwardly to provide an annular skirt 2. After the formation of the skirt 2, the central portion of the blank is depressed, as at 3, into a generally cup-shaped form, this depressed portion being adapted to be received within the mouth of the bottle when the cap is applied thereto. The rim 4 of the cap I generally conforms to the shape of the bead which is ordinarily provided at the mouth of the bottle, and the skirt 2 extends over and about the outer face of the bead so that when the cap is applied to the bottle and. the central cup-shaped portion 3 is expanded into close contact with the inner wall of the bottle mouth and the skirt is constricted or crimped about the outer face of the bead and the neck of the bottle, an effective and sanitary Aseal is established between the cap and the bottle.

The rim 4 is preferably corrugated, as at 5, and

these corrugations serve to stifl'en the same and to allow for expansion of the central cup 3 after application of the cap to the bottle. The skirt 2 is likewise preferably wrinkled or rumpled about its circumference during the formation of the cap.

The means for forming the cap I is best seen in Figure 4 of the drawings, and comprises, in general, an upper reciprocal die 8, and a coactive stationary lower die 1. The construction and operation oi.' the dies is such that when a strip of foil 8 is fed between the dies 6 and 1, and the upper die 8 is moved in a downward direction "into engagement-therewith, the strip of foil is first clamped by an annular clamping member 9, which, in this case, is shown as a heavy member carried by and axially movable relatively to the die assembly 6 so that its weight will exert a clamping pressure on the foil strip when lowered into engagement therewith, and before the forming of the cap begins. Further downward movement of the upper die 6 results in the cutting of a circular disc or blank from the foil strip 8, and formation of the blank into the finished cap, as shown in Figure 11. 'I'his is all 75 i accosmplished during one stroke of the upper die A more detailed explanation ofthe construction and operation of the dies, and the construction and formation of the cap will be found in the applications of- Charles A. MacCordy, Serial Nos. 682,474 (now Patent No. 2,076,906), 704,899 (now issued into Patent No. 2,082,167), 13,727 and 131,096, the latter two applications being `divisions of the irst. Reference will now be had to Figures 1, 2 and 3 of vthe drawings, by way of explanation of the application of our present invention to the manufacture of caps such as those forming thesubjects matter of the applications above referred to. y

` l0 generally designates the base of a typical cap making machine in which the dies 4 and 1 of Figure 4 are embodied. Extending vertically upwardly through the bed or table I l of the base I0, and reciprocable th'erein, there is provided a pair of guide bars I2, upon which is mounted a vertically reciprocal cross-head Il, to whichthe upper die 6 is suitably amxed for movement in'an upward and downwarddirection responsive to reciprocation of the cross-head. Any suitable means may be employed to 'impart reciprocal motion to the cross-head, and consequently, to the die 4, and wefhave illustrated herein, by way of example, a practical means for this purpose which has been found eminently satisfactory. As best seen ln Figure 2,- the 'crosshead `I3 is vprovided with lateral extensions at its opposite ends, upon which are rotatably mounted, respectively, roller members I4 which. are disposed within cam tracks I4' formed in the inner faces of a pair of rotary cams i! arranged at opposite sides ofthe machine, respectively.,

These cams 1S are fixedly mounted upon a transversely disposed shaft I4 which is adapted to be driven by any suitable source of power, such as an electric .motor (not shown). As will be perf fectly obvious, the cam tracks i4' which cooperate with the rollers I4 are so constructed and arranged that upon rotation of the shaft I4 and cams', motion alternately 1in an upward and downward direction will be imparted to the crosshead I3 and die unit B, according to the requirements more particularly set forth in the prior applications previously referred to, to cause the die i to perform its cap blanking and forming functions in cooperation with the stationaryv die unit 1 which isv suitably mounted in the bed of the machine in coaxial relation to the upper die s.

Mounted at one side of the dies is a spool or reel I1, upon which the foil I is wound to provide a source of foil strip supply, the spool being suitably supported as by means of the brackets I8I which are attached to t'he base Il of the capv making machine. In feeding the strip 8 from the spool l1 to the dies, the foil is trained over a roll I9, having guide flanges at its opposite ends, which is adapted to have a limited oscillating movement in a vertical plane, and thence the foil passes under a tension roll 2l, from which it leads to a pair of feed rolls 2| and 22 which are arranged one above the otherl with their contiguous or tangential surfaces disposed at about, or slightly above, the upper face of the table or bed of themachine across which the fou isred fromme feed'rons to the aies.' suitable means is provided for positively and intermittently actuating the feed rolls 2| and 22 in timed relation to the reciprocal movement of the upper die assembly l, and such means will be now more particularly described. ,Y

vthe free extremity of the arm 3l.

cam driving shaft I4, we provide a crank 23.V

'I'his crank 2l is' provided with a crank pin 24 preferably eccentrically mounted to allow ad- Justment of movement of roll I9, on which is pivotally mounted a cross-head or guide block 25, this cross-head 25 in turn being slidably mounted upon a pair of spaced bars or rods 26 which extend through suitable openings in the cross-head 2l at opposite sides of the crank pin 24. The bars 28 areadjus'tably secured at their opposite ends tp suitable spacing means or head blocks 21 and 28 respectively, the latter being pivotally mounted, as at 29, on a convenient part of the frame, such as il, which forms a part of the superstructure of the machine. Integrally formed with or otherwise attached to the head block 2l, there is provided an arm 2|. which extends towards the side of the pivotal axis 29 opposite to the side on which the bars 28 are disposed. The arm 2l is yieldably interconnected to a link 32 by means `of a coil spring 33,- one end of which is secured tothe laterally`oifset end 34 of the link 32, andthe other end of which is secured to a stud or pin 3l which is carried by The lower end of the link l2 is pivotally connected, as at II, to one arm 31 of a bell crank lever 38, which is pivotally mounted, as at 39, on the frame 30. The other arm 4I of the bell crank lever 38 rotatably supports the roller .Il over which the foil strip l is, trained, as previously mentioned.

` The head block 21 is pivotally connected, as -at 4|, to one end of a link 42 which serves to interconnect the block 21 with a reciprocatable rack 4l, the latter being pivotally connected, as at 44',

to the opposite end of the link 42. 'I'he rack 43A il which are adapted to cooperate with a toothed ratchet wheel Il which is nxedly mounted on the en'd of the shaft 40. As shown in the drawings,

two pawls Il arranged at diametrically opposite points are preferably provided, and it will be understood that these pawls are adapted to be normally urged into engagement with the teeth of the ratchet wheel ll by. any suitablel means such as springs (see Fig. 9), so that'when the rack is reciprocated in one direction. causing tion, as viewed in Figure i, the motion of the rack will be transmitted to the lower feed roll 22, thereby causing the same to also be rotated` in a clockwise direction. On the other hand, when the motion of the rack 42 is reversed, the rota- `tion of the pinion 48 will likewise be reversed,

but no motion wm be imparted to the feed m11 zr by reason of the fact that under this condition, the pawls Il will freely ride over the teeth of the ratchet wheel il, with which they are adapted to cooperate for transmitting motion to the feed roll 22 when the rack 4l is moved in one direction only. l

y Preferably, the feed rolls.2| and 22 are interconnected by suitable meshed pinions 52, as will be best understood from reference to Figure 3, so that both i'eedA rolls will be positively driven in opposite directions by the ratohetmechanism tust 'the pinion 4l to be rotated in a clockwise direc'- described. However, it is to be understood that it is not essential that both rolls be positively Vdriven since satisfactory results may be obtained by positively driving only one of the feed rolls, as for example, the roll 22. The upper feed roll 2| is preferably mounted so as to permit' adjustment of the same towards and away from the roll 22 for the purpose of providing the proper frlctional contact between the rolls and the foil strip l which is adapted to pass therebetween, and, if desired, provision may be made for releasing the upper feed roll 2| so that it will be normally urged upwardly away from the lower roll 22 for the purpose oi facilitating `the initial introduction of the foil strip O between the rolls, or f or adjusting the foil strip in the machine at the beginning or during operation thereof. The releasing instrumentalities just referred to are preferably Aof such character that the adjustable roll may bey e locked in adjusted position after the proper adjustment has been effected. These instrumentalitles are generally designated l! in the drawings, and since the specic details thereof having a generally arcuate surface which is raised.

slightly above the outer surface of the main body of the' roll. The other roll 2| is provided adjacent each of its opposite ends with a shallow annular groove or recess Il, complementary to the ribs il. Thus when the foil strip lis fed through the feed rolls 2| and 22, the foil will be ribbed or corrugated, as at l1, adjacent to each marginal edge thereof, the corrugations S1 extendingA lengthwise of the foil strip I and'serving to stiifen the same against buckling. Consequently, as the foil strip l is pushed across the bed or table i of the machine towards the dies i., 1, by means of the feed rollers 2| and 22, the

foil will lie flat. Without this reinforcement or stiifening of the foil just referred to, the foil strip would very likely buckle. and hence would not become accurately positioned with relation to the dies l, 1.

In order to preventv the foil Vfrom being unrolled too fast from the spool or reel |1, we preferably provide a suitable drag 0r brake action on the fo ,as for example, by providing suitable ad-L justab eV friction brake instrumentalities, generally designated". As best seen in'lligures 1 and '7, the drag or brake device actsupon a suitable friction bearing surface l! on one face of the spool, and the degree of braking or drag theaction of thesame is well known to those skilled in the art, further explanation and illustration thereof. is unnecessary Considering now the timed relationx of thefoil feed respecting the cap blanking and forming action of the dies, it will be observed that the normal arrangement; of the actuating means for the feed rolls 2|, 22, which includes the crank 22, crank pin 2l, slide block 25, the bars or rods 2i, the head block 21, link 42, rack and pinion u, Il, and the pawls and ratchet Il, Il, is such that on the upward stroke of the cross-head i3, which carries the upper die assembly l, the rack 43 is actuated in such direction as to impart a f driving -action to the feed rolls, thereby causing a predetermined length of the foil strip l to be fed towards the dies. The amount of foil fed during each intermittent feed stroke of the rack Il is preferably equal to the diameter of the blank which is to be cut by the dies preliminary to forming the blank into its final cap shape. Ac-

cordingly, the successive blanks will be cut fromy the foil strip l without leaving any scrap at the center ofthe strip between contiguous blank cuts.

On the other hand,this degree of accuracy is not absolutely essential, as will hereinafter become more apparent. Variation in the linear travel of the foil strip l during anysingle feed stroke of the rack may be obtained Vby an adlustment of the throw of the crank arm 23` or otherwise, as will be obvious from the drawings. 'I'he feeding action of the feed rolls 2|, 22

may take place during the upward stroke of the upper die assembly i, as previously mentioned, or if desired, it may take place at the beginning of the downward stroke of the die, or partly during the upward stroke and partly during the downward stroke. It is important, however, that the feed of the required length of ,foil strip be completed before the clamping member l', which is carried by the upper die l, comes into engagement with the foill on the down-stroke of the die assembly. v

Between the feed yrollersq2l, 22 and the dies, we preferably' provide spaced resilient guides 6l which are fixed to the bed or table i at their ends adjacent to the feed rollers so as to receive the marginal edges of the foil strip I therein,'and so as to permit flexing movement of their free extremities towards' and away from the 'bed or table adjacent to the dies. As seen in Figure 3, the guides extend from a point closely adjacent to the feed rollers, towards and partially underl clamping member l, which presses them down, returning by their inherent resiliency as member I is raised, to a point which/guides the foil to the center of height of the cap, so the -foil will push the. cap out from under the die i and wardly along with the upper die assembly, we

provide s. pair of scrap punches or plungers 6|,

the same being positioned in spaced relation to each other a distance vsomewhat' less than the transverse width of the foil strip l.. Cooperative female dies or receivers 02 are arrangedin register with the plungers 6| in the bed or table of the machine. and these dies G2 communicate with a suitably arranged discharge4 chute 0l, as will be best understood from reference to Figures l and .K It will be observed that the dies t2 are' substantially larger than the plungers Il. The purlpose of these dies 8|, "is to separate the scrap foil from the finished caps and to convey the scrap to a suitably convenient point of discharge where the scrap may be collected and disposed g of as desired. As shown in Figure 5, the foil scrap will have the form of relatively small, generally triangular shaped pieces, designated Il,

these pieces being arranged one at each side of are larger than the punches or dies 6|, the scrap pieces 64 will be forced downwardly into the dies 62, as illustrated in dotted lines in Figure 6. It

will be understood that the action of the punches '6| to get rid of the scrapis intermittent, and

corresponds to the intermittent cutting of succes- 'sive cap blanks from the foil strip 8, each of which blanks is shaped into the form of a finished cap, designated l, before a succeeding blank is cut. The action of the machine is relatively rapid so that the making ofthe caps may besaid to be accomplished by a substantially continuous process at the rate of fty to one hundred caps per minute. This rate may be varied slower or faster, as desired. Upon completion `of a single cap, it is pushed towardsv the discharge end of the machine by the forward edge of the foil strip 8 during the succeeding advancement of the foil strip between the dies preparatory to forming a succeeding cap. The caps are preferably discharged at the end of the machine through a chute 68, which serves to direct the sameto a convenient point for collection or packaging of the caps preparatory to .distribution for use. As previously mentioned,'the discharge of the iinished caps is effected by the advancement of the foil strip 8, which pushes the previously finished cap towards the discharge chute 68, as will be understood from reference to Figure 4.

4As a safety feature, we preferably provide a means controlled by the foilstrip 8 for automatically stopping the machine in the event of 'breakage of the foil strip during operation of `the machine. In Figures 1 and 10, we have shown a relatively simple device which is eminently suited for this purpose, although it is to be understood that we do not wish to be limited to the specific construction shown and now to be described. It will be observed that the roller 28, under which the foil strip 8 passes, and which is disposed intermediate the roller I8 and the feed rolls 2|, 22, is mounted upon a pivotal arm 68 which is pivotally mounted, asat 18, at any convenient point on the frame of the machine. This arm 68 is normally urged in afcounterclockwise direction, as viewed in Figures 1 and 10, by'means of a tension spring 1|, which has one end connected with the lower extremity of the arm68, as seen in Figure 10, and its other end fixed to a stationary part of the machine. The arm 68 has xedly mounted thereon a mercury switch, generally designated 12, which may be of conventional construction, the switch being arranged in circuit with the electric motor which serves to drive the machine. When the arm 68 ls-positioned, as shown in full lines in Figure A10, the mercury in the switch 12 submerges the electrical contacts, and closes the electrical circuit to the f motor through theconductors`18, so as to condition the motor for opera- -tion to l-drive the. machine.' The arm 68 and switch unit 12 are maintained in this operativey Figure 10, the spring 1| will urge the arm 68 and the switch unit 12 to their'dotted vline positions shown in this figure, thereby causing the mercury in the switch unit to run to the bottom of the switch, resulting in opening the electrical circuit. In so opening the electrical circuit, the motor (not shown) will stop, and operation of the machine will be discontinued until the automatic-control mechanism is restored to its normal operative position.

Reverse movement of the foil during the returnl stroke'of the rack 45 is prevented by adjusting the friction brake instrumentalities 58, 59 so that the drag on the foil is greater than the frictional engagement of the pawls 50, 50 with the ratchet wheel 5| as they ride over the teeth of the ratchet wheel.

The method of constructing bottle caps from foil strip, and the means for practicing such method should be readily understood from the 20 8 passes, and is advanced towards the dies by a 25 pushing action imparted to the strip.

During the feedingof the strip 8, it is suitably l stiffened or reinforced by corrugating the same f lengthwise, as at 51, to afford sufficient stiffness to' prevent the strip from buckling. Actuation 30 of thefeed rolls 2 I, 22 is effected by the pawl and ratchet means 50, 5| which in/turn are operated by the reciprocal rack 43 which is driven in timed relation to the reciprocal-die assembly 6.

When the forward 'end of the strip 8 hasbeen 35 advanced so as to lie intermediate the coactive dies 6 and 1, movement of the strip is discontinued, and it isinitially engaged by the clamping member 8 which is carried by the upper die assembly. This clamping member 9 rests upon 40 the foil when the upper die assembly approaches the lower die, so as to' hold the same at while the cap blank is being cut and formed into the finished cap as the upper die assembly'continues its dovmward movement. If desired, a spring/45 may be employed to yieldably urge the clamping member 8 against the foil so as to exert a yieldable clamping pressure thereon, as more particularly described'in Patent No. 2,076,906, hereinbeforev referred to. By making the member 9 50 I sulciently heavy to exert a clamping pressure on the foil by its own weight, as shown in Figures 1 and 4 of the present application, the ,spring just referred to may be omitted.

The member 8 strips the disc of foil fromthe 55 punch and also actuates the ejector sleeve in the lower die 1 by a connection between them (not shown) through a slot to insure ejection of the cap.

The blanking punch presses the foil into the 30 movable plate of the lower die assembly and scores the blank so that the folds lap over one another to form a triple thickness of the edge of the skirt to increase its stiffness. Continued downward movement of the upper die assembly,

than the Idiameter of the die so that the strip is completely severed and the triangular-shaped scrap pieces 64 are cut free from the strip and are pushed down by the punches 6| into the dies 62 as or shortly after the blank is cut. After cutting of the'A blank, continued downward move-75- ment of the upper diel assembly 6 forms the blank into the finished cap I.

During the blanking and forming ofthe cap. and while the clamping member l is holding the foil by the clamping pressure thereon, th'e roller I9 over which the foil strip 8 is trained is rocked upwardly, thereby drawing someof the foilfrom the reel so as to enable the foil to be subsequently advanced by the feed rdllers 2|, 22 without the likelihood of tearing the foil, having in mind that the friction brake or drag instrumentalities 58 normally exert a drag on the foil strip to prevent the same from unrolling from the spool or reel Il too fast. Having shifted the rbll I! upwardly to draw some of the foil from the spool or reel I1, the upper die assembly 6 moves upwardly, and picks up the clamping member 3 so as to carry the latter upwardly with it. thereb y freeing the foil strip B and conditioning the same for further advancement ,towards the dies. The roller Il is now rocked downwardly, and during or after the downward motion of this roller, the feed rolls 2|,

22 are actuated to feed a predetermined length of the foil strip between the dies, preparatory to cutting and forming the next cap by a repetition of the cycle of operations Just described. Of

cap to be discharged from the machine.

course, the friction' of theqbrake on' the supply spool Il should be greater than the force exerted by the spring 1i on the automatic control which includes the guide roller 2l, thereby keeping the arm I9 from swinging to the dotted line position shown in Figure 10 when the feed ceases. As the -strip advances-between the dies, it pushes the finished cap which was previously-formed, in the direction of the arrow in Figure 4, causing the The scrap pieces N, which are pushed down in'to' the dies!! by thepunches 6I, are discharged from the machine separately from the finished caps.

preferably passing through a chute I3 from whichthescrap may drop into a suitable receptacle for collection of the same until they :may be conveniently disposed. of. Y

By ,reason of the fact that we prefer to employ foil strip which is slightly narrower than the cap blank, thereby resulting in the complete sev- 4erance of the strip and the separation of the relatively small'scrap pieces, we are able to effect material savings in the manufacture of the caps. The same principles disclosed herein may be employed in the manufacture of articles other than bottle' caps, so it is to be understood that we do not vwish to be limited to the eld of bottle cap manufacture. In the case of foil bottle caps, the invention is particularly important because of the expense of the foil, but the saving effected by the invention would be still present and in the same proportion over 4the `old practices regardless of the nature of the specific material employed.

-While the specic 4details have been herein shown and described, the invention is not confined f thereto; as changes and alterations may be made said die members,l and means forming a part of v said pushing means for stiifening said strip `material during feeding of the same, whereby to prevent the strip from buckling.

2. In apparatus of the class described'` which `able after engagement of said foil includes relatively movable die members.. cooperative feed rolls for feeding a strip of material between said die members, and means for corrugating said strip material lengthwise during feeding of the same, whereby to prevent buckling of the strip, said corrugating means comprising annular ribs formed on one of said feed rollsV adjacent to its opposite ends, and the cooperating j feed roll having annular grooves formed therein complementary to`said ribs.

3. In apparatus of the class described which includes coactive relatively movable die members, a source of foil strip supply, pushing means for intermittently advancing saidfoil strip between said dies, means carried by one of said dies for initially engaging the foil strip so as to exert a clamping pressure upon the same, means operclamping means with the foilstrip for cutting a circular blank from said strip, the diameter of which is at least equal to the width of the foil strip, thereby forming substantially triangular shaped scrap pieces at the end of said strip, and means for separating said scrap pieces from theblank' and for displacing the same from the path of the strip as the blank is formed by the dies into an article of predetermined shape, 4whereby the finished article may be discharged from the apparatus separately from the scrap. v

4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 3, in combination with means engageable with the foil strip for withdrawing aV predetermined length of foil from the source of supply while the foil clamping means is enagedrwithfthe foil.

5. Apparatus asclaimed in claim 3, wherein the Vscrap separating means comprises cooperative relatively movable scrap-engaging dies operable in timed relation to theblank-forming dies to displace the scrap from the path of feeding movement of the foil strip. v

6. In apparatus of the class described, which lincludes coactive die members, one of which is reciprocable towards and away from the other, and means for reciprocating the same, a source of strip supply positioned at one side of said diel members, a vpair of feed rolls interposed between the source of strip supply and die members and .adapted to intermittently feed the strip with a ing pivotallyl supported for oscillating movement, and means for actuating the feed rolls and oscillatable strip-withdrawing'means -i'n timed relation to the yreciprocable die member, said last mentioned means comprising a rotary crank operable by the die-reciprocatingvmeans and having a crank pin, a'slide block journaled on said crank pin, a bar plvotally supported adjacent to one end' andsudably engaged with said slide block sc as to impart pivotal movement to said bar responsive to rotationV of said crank, la rack pivotally connected with oneend of said bar, ratchet and pawl means operable by said rack and establishing an intermittent drive with said feed rolls,

- and means interconnecting the bar with the oscillatable strip withdrawing means whereby to cause the latter-to move in a direction to withdraw the strip from the supply source while the feed -rolls are idle, and'to move in the opposite direction as' the feed rollsare driven` to feed the withdrawn lengths of4 strip to the diemembers.

7. Apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein the intercnnecting means between the pivotal bar and the oscillatable strip` withdrawing means includes a yieldable connection.

8. In apparatus of the class described, whic includes coactive die members, one of which is reciprocable towards and away from the other,

and means for reciprocating the same, a source of strip supply. positioned at one side of said die members, intermittently operable strip feeding means interposed between the source of strip supply and the die members, means positioned between the source of strip supply and the strip feeding means and about which the strip is adapted to be trained for withdrawing a length of the strip from the supply preparatory to feeding the same to the die members, said withdrawing means being pivotally mounted for oscillating movement,

and means for oscillating the withdrawing means in timed relation to the reclprocable die member.

said last named means comprising a rotary crank operable by the die-reciprocating means and having a crank pin, a slide block journaled on said crank pin, a bar pivotally supported and slidably engaged by said slide block, and means operatively connecting the pivotal bar withthe oscillatable strip-withdrawing means whereby to impart oscillation to the latter responsive to the rotation of said crank.

9. In apparatus of the class described which includes coactive die members, one of which is movable towards and away from the other, and means for reciprocating said movable die member, a source of strip supply positioned at one side oi said die members, strip feeding means adapted to engage said strip and positioned in advance of the die members for drawing said strip from the source of supply and for pushing the same towards the die members, means for imposing a drag upon the strip at the source of strip supply, means adapted to act upon the strip and positioned intermediate the source of strip supply and the strip feeding means for withdrawing a length of the strip from the source of supply, means for actuating said strip feeding means to advance the strip towards the dies after withdrawal of the length of the strip from the source of supply as aforesaid, said strip withdrawing and feeding means being intermittently operable in timed relation to each other and to the reciprocal movement of the movable die member, and means controlled by the strip for automatically discontinuing the motion of the reciprocal die memberl responsive to breakage of the strip.-

10. The method of feeding foil-strips to bottle cap making machines of the type which includes coactivel relatively reciprocal cap blanking and forming dies, Acomprising applying to the 'strip at a point adjacent to the dies, a clamping pressure, withdrawing a predetermined length .of strip from a source of strip supply, thereafter advancing the strip by a Pushing force applied to the same at a point intermediate'the source of strip 5 supply and the dies, and forming corrugations in the strip extending lengthwise of the strip adjacent to its opposite marginal edges during advancement of the strip from the source of strip supply to the dies. 11. In apparatus of the class described, which includes coactive die members, one of which is movable towards and away from the other, and means-for reciprocating said mowlbie'die-member, a source of strip supply positioned at one side of said die members, strip feeding means adapted toengage said strip and positioned in advance of the die members for drawing saidf strip from the source of supply and for pushing the same towards the die members, and means for intermittently actuating said strip feeding means in timed relation to the reciprocal movement of the movable die member, said last named means comprising pawl and ratchet means operatively connected with the strip feeding means, v rack and pinion means operatively connected with the pawl and ratchet means, a rotary crank operable in timed relation to the movable die member, a crank pin projecting laterally from said crank, and a slide block iournaled on said crank pin and .slidably mounted on a bar, the latter being pivotally supported at one end and having its opposite end operatively connected with the rack for lactuating the latter and its pinion. 12; The method of making foil bottle caps and the like, which comprises intermittently withdrawing a length 0f foil strip vfrom a source of strip supply positioned at one sideof coactive y relatively reciprocable cap blanking and forming dies, each intermittently withdrawn; length being substantially equal to the diameter of .a cap blank, intermittently advancing the strip between the dies by a pushing action after each withdrawing action, successively engaging the dies with the advanced end of the strip to successively cut circular blanks therefrom of a diameterat least as great as the width of the foil strip, thereby completely severing the advanced end of the foil strip and forming substantially triangular scrap .piecesbetween successive blanks, and thereafter 

